When it Rains
by PsychoticSushi
Summary: Set in P.O.A. JoAnna Briggs woke up one morning to find herself alone, not a clue what happened to her family. Life's confusing enough without throwing in a shockingly purple bus, murderers, and a huge school that looks like Dracula's castle.


**Yes, yes, it's another OC to add to the millions on Harry Potter FanFic.**

**Don't worry, i won't make her a Prophecy or anything like that.**

**But I'm almost a hundred percent sure you'll like it as i post more chapters! **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"JoAnna, honey, wake up!"

"Uhhngh.._why_? It's, like, three in the morning, mum."

Mom shook her again. "Jo, you've gotta hide, you hear me?"

At this, she shot up. "_What_?!"

Her mom yanked her up, threw a heavy blanket-like thing over her, and shoved her under the bed.

"No matter what happens, no matter what they say or do, DO NOT make the tiniest sound, and DO NOT take off that cloak!" She hissed.

JoAnna nodded, and mom squeezed her hand tightly before jumping up. She heard doors opening and shutting.

"Where's the girl? Where's your daughter?!" A voice hissed. "..She's not here, she's on holiday with a friend, please!" Mom cried out desperately.

"_Crucio_!"

Jo clamped a hand over her mouth as her family's screams rang through the house, and she soon fell back into a fearful sleep.

* * *

When JoAnna woke up the next morning, she found her parents and brother missing, and had no idea why or how she ended up under her bed. But the house was completely ransacked, and after a few days she realized they most likely wouldn't be back.

Each day that passed, she tried to remember something, _anything_.

But nothing came.

She got a crappy job and attempted to keep up with bills and such, seeing no other choice. Every day she worried about how she'd get by once school rolled back around, if her family wasn't back by then.

But a month after that awful morning, a letter came with a fancy scarlet seal.

It's best to explain this now: her house wasn't exactly a mansion, and they were barely middle-class as it was.

So when a fancy-looking letter arrived addressed to _her_, Jo was extremely confused.

"Miss JoAnna Briggs," she read aloud with shaking hands.

"I am pleased to inform you of your acceptance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- what the bloody 'ELL?!"

She re-read the name. "This has _got _to be a joke. A really sick, twisted, mean rich people joke! I know I'm not exactly an aristocrat, but blimey. It doesn't make me a gullible dumbass!"

She sighed and tossed it into the trash on her way to fix some cereal. "...Stupid rich people."

* * *

The letters kept coming, and a lot of freaky-looking owls started hanging around. Which was really unsettling. She barely opened the drapes anymore.

Then out of the blue, the tables turned on her. First off, she had gotten a mighty hefty tip that day. That should've been the red flag right there. Her luck was never that good, so SOMETHING was bound to go wrong later on in the day.

When she got off her bus, Jo heard yelling from above her.

She looked up and saw a huge, shrieking balloon circling a chimney stack. Jo gasped and dropped her keys when she realized it was a woman, and NOT a balloon.

Jo finally managed to unlock her front door, closing it behind her before leaning against it and closing her eyes.

She could feel a major stress headache going on.

She tried her best to ignore that feeling; the feeling she always got when she first walked back into her home and remembered no one would be waiting anymore.

All of a sudden, there was a voice in her ear. "JoAnna," it hissed.

It sounded way too familiar than she liked.

"Come to the basement. _Join me_, girl! I can teach you powerful magic beyond your _wildest _dreams!"

She opened her eyes and yelped. There was no one there. Maybe she was going crazy. No way in _hell _did magic exist!

Her breath was coming in quick little bursts as she hurriedly packed some clothes and ran out the door, determined not to stay the night in her haunted house.

* * *

Jo held her house key up to the street lamp before hooking it onto her silver chain and refastening it around her neck.

Not like she'd be needing it tonight.

It was dark out here, and she had planned on staying at an inn for the night, but she felt compelled to stay where she was.

The air seemed...off. Like someone else was there with her. She had noticed the human balloon was gone now.

Jo found herself wondering if that fancy letter was really a joke. Not like her life could get any weirder lately..

She was brought out of her thoughts by a sharp screech and hiss of a bus, and she shot up in spastic surprise.

It was a shocking shade of purple.

A young man popped out once the doors opened, eyes focused on a bit of parchment paper in his hands.

"Good evenin', and welcome to the Knight Bus- Transportation for any stranded witch or wizard. I'm Stanley Shunpike, and I'll be your conductor for the evenin'."

She stared at him for a few seconds. _Ho. Ly. CRAP._

"Uh...right." Jo stood up and grabbed her bags. Stanley waved her off and took the big one off her hands as she adjusted the strap of her purse. "I'll take care of it."

* * *

"Whoa..." She exhaled, staring in wonder at the bus.

_What the hell kind of bus have I been taking all this time?!_

Jo sighed to herself, sitting on one of the very comfy-looking beds. Maybe she'd just chill here for the night, and they could take her home tomorrow or the day after.

Yeah!

"Take it away, Ern."

"Yeah, take it away, Ernie!"

The bus lurched to life, racing along, but didn't end up going very far. It came to a screeching halt, causing JoAnna to practically fly off the bed, somersaulting until she hit the front of the bus with her head, legs sprung up in the air.

Stanley gave her an amused look before stepping off the bus and reciting his speech to the next passenger.

* * *

She was already back on her bed when a boy about her age got inside. He looked slightly shaken up and more-than-slightly confused.

Something about him caught her attention and held it. Determined to break the freakiness, Jo tuned out his and Stanley's conversation.

Instead, she watched the night scene fly by, trying her hardest to empty her mind. "Who's that?" _Dammit, I lost, _she thought moodily as she tuned back into their conversation.

Jo glanced over nonchalantly at Stan's newspaper with moving pictures. At this point, nothing would surprise her.

"Who is _that_? Who is- THAT is Sirius Black, that is. He's a murderer. Got locked up in Azkaban for it."

_Murderer._

Jo's stomach did little flips. She felt slightly ill.

_Murder..._

She shook her head quickly, and the feeling slowly started to go away. "Big supporter of...You-Know-Who. I reckon you've heard of him."

The dude smiled as if it were an inside joke of his. "Yeah. _Him _I've heard of."

A few moments later, they were at an old pub. "The Leaky Cauldron," Stan announced as the poor guy was flung off the bed and hit the window with his face.

Jo tried not to laugh. "That was me about seven minutes ago. Reckon that's what these are for?" She asked innocently as she let go of the bed post.

He stood up, brushing himself off and wincing. "Good thing you told me that _before _I rammed into the window three times," he replied sarcastically.

A man with a terrible hunchback walked up. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Briggs. At last!"

Jo raised her eyebrows. "But, how did you possibly- ...Oh, screw it, there's a _lot _I don't know at this point," she mumbled moodily as she followed "Mr. Potter" off the bus.

"Next stop, Knockturn Alley," Stan announced as Ernie sped off.

Jo grinned as the man who had been waiting for them waved a wand to turn off a blaring car alarm the Knight Bus had hit.

She looked around the inside of the pub as coffee cups were stirred by independent spoons and chairs were stacked by quick, invisible hands.

"I could get used to this whole magic thing.."


End file.
